Social media influencer Jake Paul boasts tens of millions of followers online. But sadly, he’s recently been using his enormous platform to spew homophobic insults.
On Saturday night, Paul defeated former UFC combatant Nate Diaz in a gimmick boxing match in Dallas, Texas. In the days leading up to the fight, both men verbally attacked each other with overtly anti-gay language.
It’s hard to believe two major public figures would engage in these kinds of crass insults in 2023, but here we are.
Diaz ignited the homophobic flames late last week, when he went after one of Paul’s employees, Derek Sullivan, who said Paul would knock Diaz out.
“Hey, bring this little b**** up here,” said Diaz, via Outsports. “Get him the f*** out here. They are lacking respect, all the p*****s in your f****g f***** camp, motherf*****. That’s the problem… This guy is influencing the f*****g Island gay boys because they are mother f****** like you b****. You are the f*****g bad guy, and this little f**k right here needs his ass whipped.”
Such nice language. This sounds like fun for the whole family!
Diaz, who’s 21-13 in his mixed martial arts career, is no stranger to homophobic taunts. Back in 2013, he was suspended by UFC for calling another fighter a “f*g.”
Clearly, he hasn’t changed.
Such a small little man. 🧐
— Eric Geeks 🏳️🌈 (@UpBeatGeeks) August 5, 2023
Because nothing screams straight like two sweaty dudes dry jumping in a cage.
— Trace (@WithoutaTRACE) August 5, 2023
Not to feel left out, Paul, who has a scandal-ridden past himself, threatened to sexually assault Diaz.
When Diaz called Paul a “gay guy,” he threatened to “grab” his opponent’s “cheeks.”
Later, Paul replied to a question about what would happen in a hypothetical meeting between him and Diaz with the following obscenity: “Imma bend him over and f*** him like a cowboy.”
Now, it may be tempting to dismiss Paul and Diaz as two ignorant meatheads; and thus, not worthy of our attention. But that overlooks the fact they both enjoy huge platforms and followings.
When they speak, millions of people hear them.
There’s also the long-standing issues with boxing and homophobia. There’s only been one out gay pro boxer in history, Orlando Cruz.
Last month, he blasted his sport for not supporting LGBTQ+ fighters.
“Young male boxers are killing themselves, as they are scared,” Cruz told the publication Bad Left Hook. “They have nowhere to turn and depression hits them. Our sport is doing nothing to help them.”
Promoting Paul and Diaz’s bout, and the grotesquely homophobic language surrounding it, certainly doesn’t help matters.
As far as MMA is concerned, Diaz is an atrocious standard-bearer for the sport. There are out fighters flourishing in the MMA world, including Liz Carmouche, Jessica Andrade, and Amanda Nunes (Nunes is a former UFC Women’s Featherweight Champion and two-time UFC Women’s Bantamweight).
Fallon Fox, meanwhile, became the first out transgender fighter in MMA history way back in 2013.
But on the men’s side, Jeff Molina is the only known out fighter. He came out as bisexual earlier this year after being outed with a sex video.
Surely, listening to Paul and Diaz equate homosexual acts with embarrassment and shame wouldn’t make any closeted MMA fighter or boxer comfortable with the prospect of coming out.
Their fight may have ended Saturday night; but sadly, the impact of their words could carry on.
Jim
Poor Diaz . that’s what happens when you are an unsatisfied bottom
Den
“Now, it may be tempting to dismiss Paul and Diaz as two ignorant meatheads; and thus, not worthy of our attention. But that overlooks the fact they both enjoy huge platforms and followings.”
That they have “huge platforms and followings” in no way denies that they are two ignorant meatheads. Commercial martial “arts” (both the fighters and the spectators) are overwhelmingly ignorant meathheads as well. There is nothing civilized or intelligent about people attempting to do physical and neurological damage to each other, and occasionally actually killing each other, for the viewing pleasure of others. The expectation that these people would behave intelligently or be sportsman like is foolish.
Without a doubt both Jake Paul and Nate Diaz are idiots. I assume The LGBT practitioners of the “sport” might be nominally more civil, but they are ultimately fools as well; risking disfigurement, neurological disease, disability, early death, and so on, to provide voyeuristic arousal for sadists.
I’m not surprised when they engage in homophobic or racist attacks on each other. I would expect no better.
scotty
make one wear a spiderman outfit and the other a flash.
humancobras666
Jake Paul is just a douchebag that can’t f*ck for shit according to previous girls he’s been with.
So who cares. Homophobia are just gay closeted men who wish they had the balls to open about wanting to suck a d*ck or a**.